Between a Rock and a Hard Place
by Status-Endless
Summary: Killing cute boys is more of a hobby for Neo. She wished more of her, ah, missions, involved stabbing a pretty boy clean through the heart. There's something about watching the life fade away from their beautiful eyes that makes her heart skip a beat. Stabbing, choking, burning… anything works! One-sided Neo/Fox.


_(A/N): Snappy back at it again with some more Neo/Fox. Sorry Speak No Evil hasn't updated. I've been busy._

* * *

Killing cute boys is more of a hobby for Neo. She wished more of her, ah, _missions_ , involved stabbing a pretty boy clean through the heart. There's something about watching the life fade away from their beautiful eyes that makes her heart skip a beat. Stabbing, choking, burning… anything works!

And today, it seemed she hit the jackpot.

She almost couldn't believe it. A cute boy? In the middle of a secluded area? Where civilization is literally miles away?

It was like a dream come true!

Oh, and what a cute boy indeed… Neo silently sighed as she watched him. What was it that captivated her? Perhaps it's the scars that line his arms. It meant he'd been in several fights before. That means he's a challenge.

Or maybe it's his hair? It's the same color as blood.

Or maybe his eyes? ...Or rather, lack thereof. His eyes are creepy and pure white. She likes it.

Neo had been staring for too long. Of all the boys she'd come across, he was undoubtedly the cutest. She bats her eyes. It's almost a shame. He's just too cute! Neo almost felt guilty that she was going to kill him.

Almost.

* * *

Fox didn't mind training by himself. It was better this way. Being blind, he had a much different training routine than his teammates.

His daily routine involved traveling far beyond the Emerald Forest, to the cliffsides. It's far more challenging. Nevermores, Deathstalkers, precarious cliffs, crumbling temples… It's perfect for honing his skills. The boulders were his favorite danger. It meant he had to be alert enough to hear it fall. He'd nearly been crushed twice by falling boulders.

Fox assures himself he's getting much better at listening to the earth.

And to be completely honest, Fox liked the feeling of eroded rock against his palm. It's a texture he doesn't feel anywhere else. It's comforting. That's why he came to the cliffside today.

Having finished his stretches, he mulled over whether he go looking for danger, or wait for it to come to him.

His answer came quickly. His ears pricked, picking up the sound of footsteps. Yes, yes, he can hear them. Very light. The stranger probably doesn't weight much. Slight breathing (very quiet).

A chill fell down his spine as he heard the footsteps break into a sprint.

Then he heard the unsheathing of metal.

Fox's response is instantaneous. By jumping to the side, he was able to avoid the very first hit. The wind of quick-footed stranger whipped past him. They skidded to a stop. Unsheathing his own twin blades, he steadied himself for battle.

He could hear her breathing. Hear her quickening heartbeat. The trembling in her knees. A drop of sweat rolled down his forehead.

She seemed awfully excited for a fight, he concluded.

* * *

Fantastic! He dodged the first hit! He was better than she thought. If she could giggle she could. This was going to be fun.

She lifted her sword, ready for the next strike. But the boy didn't move. Playing hard to get? That's so mean. She'll come to him instead!

She rushed at him, allowing herself to twirl for slashing her thin sword at him. He caught it with his blades. Metal grated against metal. He's a strong one! Not that it's surprising. With muscles like that...

No, no! Don't get so lovestruck right now! The battle's just begun. Having grown bored of this teasing she hopped over his head… and nearly got her head lobbed off for all her trouble.

Oh! She rolled away just in time. She could see a few strands of her multicolored hair drifting in the wind. He's quick. She could feel herself blush. What a catch!

The boy gave her no time to sit and drool. He came at her, slicing at her with quick jabs of his blades. She blocked each one, but she found it amazing that it was actually straining her. Neo's muscles were already sore and her joints had begun to stings. He was giving the little woman quite the workout.

Neo decided this was the perfect time to use her illusions. Actually, it's always the perfect time to use her illusions. She bounced away from him. She quickly conjured up an illusion of herself poised and ready to fight right behind the boy. A perfect opportunity to slice him to pieces!

But to her surprised, he completely ignored her illusion. She could see his ears twitch. His head turned to her location. He found her! He bolted for her, and she barely got her sword up in time to block.

"That won't work on me," He said calmly. She pushed him back and jumped aside.

So he's blind, huh? This cute boy is just full of surprises!

She was definitely going to keep his head once this was all over.

* * *

Fox had zero idea who this stranger was, or why she was attacking him. He didn't recognize her footsteps, breathing, or even her smell. And he'd remember that, since she smelled like ice cream.

Whatever her reasons, she certainly wasn't going to let her win. Considering her swiftness and brutality, he figured she was aiming to kill. He sliced at her legs, hoping to weaken her. But to no avail. She blocked each one gracefully.

Whoever this girl was, she sure was strange. Her heartbeat was strange. It didn't sound like a heart in the midst of an intense battle. In fact, it sounded like Coco's heart whenever she was around Velvet.

He moved away from her, but she followed. He blocked and dodged each one of her blows. Whatever. Her heartbeat didn't matter right now. He needed to figure out how to end this.

Shifting to a jumping stance, he decided he'd distract her with his blades, and then knock her out when she wasn't looking.

Fox was thinking for too long. The girl saw her opening and managed to slice his shoulder. He shifted to his right, but she landed another blow to his side. It hurt like hell, but he wasn't going to give her anymore openings. He jumped back further away, hoping to give him and his opponent some more space. Surprisingly, she didn't follow him. She simply stood there, almost waiting for him.

Ah, so she was toying with him the whole time? He wiped blood away from his shoulder. This isn't good. She can easily down him at any time. If he didn't do something quick, he'd find himself with a sword through his neck.

He furrowed his brow. He'd never killed another person before. He'd maimed a few, but never killed. He certainly didn't want to start today.

He smiled. Fox rushed at her, an idea having sprung into his mind. Outmatched or not, he had something she didn't.

He could hear her weapon as she lifted it. But their weapons never met.

He practically flew over her. Fox was never aiming for her, but for the cliffside rock behind her. He spun himself against the rock, blasting away at the wall. Within seconds, the entire area was coated in a fog of dirt and dust.

He smiled. Outmatched or not, he had something she didn't. Fog, dirt, smoke-it never bothered him. Being blind, he always had to rely on his other senses.

But his opponent never had to rely on her other senses. Fighting in obscurity was something she never faced, something she never had to worry about.

Until now.

Fox didn't wait for the dirt to subside. He wasted no time. He could easily feel her vibrations as she shifted around. He could hear her cough too.

Sucks for her. In one quick motion, he left a gash on the back of her upper thigh. His next blow would land on her shoulder (petty, he knows). Fox skidded to a halt. Wiping her blood from his blade, he prepared himself for the final blow: a direct hit to the back of her head that would render her unconscious.

He bolted for her. But it seemed she caught him instead. He felt a strong kick to his stomach that threw him across the ground. Fox hit the cliffside with enough force that he could feel it tremble.

He wheezed. That was one hell of a kick. He tried to get up, but collapsed against the cliff's wall. It hurt really badly. Come to think of it, the wounds to his shoulder and side were bleeding heavily too.

A chill ran up his spine. This isn't good. He could already hear her slow footsteps. He could practically feel her anticipation.

But something else caught Fox's attention. There, at the very top of the cliff he lay against. Something large. And heavy. It's shifting. Unbalanced. He could hear the loud grinding as it teetered at the top of the cliff. He could feel the dirt and clods against his skin as they fell.

Fox could practically feel the boulder as it fell over the edge.

He barely had time to shout, "Look out!"

* * *

It's really warm. The back of her head hurts too. What the hell happened? She was just about to run that cutie right through with her sword when… She doesn't know. She just remembered being pushed back and landing on the ground.

Her ears her ringing, and something heavy was on her. She tentatively opened eyes, giving her eyes some time to focus.

Neo lay wide-eyed as she realized the boy was laying right on top of her. He grunted with every breath.

She must have turned as red as a tomato. She was just about to push him off when she noticed the bolder right behind them. It was large, and certainly heavy. It actually was imbedded into the ground.

Her eyes widened.

So he… he had…! An airy, fuzzy feeling grew in her chest.

Fox dragged himself off of her. He never killed anyone before. As rough and tough as he looked, he didn't like the idea of killing someone.

Nor did he fancy the thought of seeing an opponent get squashed by a falling boulder. It was a reflex. He used to save dogs from getting run over by cars as a kid. His mind and body figured this was no different.

Shit. What the hell was he thinking? Saving an opponent from death? He should have just left her there! Then he wouldn't even have blood on his hands. Stupid, stupid, stupid! The girl is getting up now. She'll kill him now for sure.

He forces himself up, and while in no position to fight, he readies himself with a low stance. If he's going to die he'd rather die fighting.

She stood there for a moment. Her breathing, her posture… she seemed almost demure? He could heard her hands come together, and hear her shoes shuffle.

Then she rushed at him. That caught him off guard. He barely had time to block her blow.

But a blow never came. Instead, he felt something soft and warm touch his cheek.

She had kissed his cheek.

If this was some plot to lower his guard, it certainly worked. "...Huh?"

Without any explanation, she poked at his nose and hopped over him. She scampered away, making her way to the Emerald Forest, leaving him stunned and dumbfounded.

* * *

Her heart was soaring! Her heart was singing! Neo could barely get the smile off her face. So this is love? It's love right? He saved her, even after cutting her in a few places… how considerate!

She skipped merrily through the Emerald Forest. The little woman paid no attention to her injuries. She might as well be as clean as a newborn. She could hardly feel any pain at all! All she felt was bliss. Like she was walking on air. Like every cell in her body was flying away.

So this is love, huh? Well, Neo decided a living boyfriend was much more appealing than a dead one.

* * *

 _(A/N): On a slightly unrelated note, I assume Fox is 18 (since he's a second). I'm also assuming Neo is 18 or older, since her partners-in-crime are very obviously adults. She's just cursed to be very small._

 _I've actually been meaning to write this for a while. BTW, I was listening to rockleetist's cover of 'Rotten Girl, Grotesque Romance'. The yandere trope is pretty gross to me, but I'll be damned if Neo isn't at least A LITTLE creepy._


End file.
